Where to Play Pinball in Austin: Arcades, Bars, and Entertainment Venues with Machines
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Austin has emerged as a pinball destination in Texas, anchored by Pinballz—a local chain that claims the state's largest collection of pinball machines across multiple locations. The city's offerings range from membership-based pinball collectives with rotating rosters of 50+ machines to neighborhood bars hosting weekly leagues. For visitors, the variety means options whether you're traveling through north Austin, south of the river, or the Cedar Park suburbs.
Beyond the dedicated arcades, Austin's entertainment scene has embraced pinball as part of larger concepts. Free-play venues like Cidercade pair unlimited gaming with house-made ciders, while Pins Mechanical Co. adds duckpin bowling and cocktails to the mix. The result is a metro area where pinball enthusiasts can spend an entire weekend hopping between distinctly different venues.
| Venue | Area | Machines | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinballz Arcade | North Austin | 70+ | Arcade |
| Austin Pinball Collective | East Austin | 50+ | Pinball Collective |
| Pinballz Lake Creek | North Austin | 50+ | Entertainment Complex |
| Cidercade Austin | East Riverside | 15+ | Arcade Bar |
| Bender Bar and Grill | South Austin | 15+ | Bar |
| The Brewtique | Cedar Park | A few | Bottle Shop |
| Pins Mechanical Co. | South Austin | A few | Entertainment Venue |
Here's where to find pinball across the Austin metro.
Nonprofit pinball collective · East Austin
Austin Pinball Collective operates as a community-driven pinball hub where local enthusiasts have pooled machines, tools, and expertise under one roof. The space functions on a membership model with day-pass options available for visitors, and all games are set to free play once you're in. The collective hosts regular tournaments—including IFPA-sanctioned events—and serves as home base for the Austin Belles & Chimes women's pinball group.
Retro arcade · North Austin (Research Blvd)
The original Pinballz Arcade opened in 2010 and has since grown into Texas's largest pinball operation. This location maintains the chain's deepest pinball collection in a laid-back, token-operated format. The arcade allows BYOB, has an on-site food truck (Mikki's Replay Café), and offers party room rentals for events. Games run on tokens or game cards with prices typically ranging from $0.75 to $1.25 per play.
Entertainment complex · North Austin
Pinballz Lake Creek expands on the original with a 100,000+ square foot facility that combines pinball and arcade gaming with go-karts, laser tag, VR arenas, escape rooms, bumper cars, and mini-bowling. The venue operates Mikki's Tavern (a scratch kitchen) and The Whiskey Bar on-site. Unlike the original location, this isn't BYOB—but the full-service bars and restaurant make up for it.
Duckpin bowling bar · South Austin (St. Elmo district)
Pins Mechanical Co. opened its Austin location in the St. Elmo district in April 2025, bringing the Ohio-based chain's concept of duckpin bowling, pinball, and cocktails to South Congress. The 43,000-square-foot venue features 20 duckpin bowling lanes alongside pinball machines (quarters required), foosball, ping pong, and free arcade games with quarters donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Food options include JewBoy Sliders and Lefty's Pizza Kitchen.
Arcade bar · East Riverside
Cidercade Austin operates on a flat admission model—pay once and play unlimited games, including pinball. The venue combines 150+ arcade games with house-made hard ciders and craft beer on tap. Food options include 12-inch artisan pizzas and smoked wings. The space transitions to 18+ at 9pm.
Neighborhood bar · South Austin
Bender Bar and Grill serves as home base for the South Austin Pinball League, which runs Tuesday nights at 7:30pm. The bar features a dedicated game room with pinball machines alongside pool tables, darts, and video games. Twenty rotating craft beer taps and a full kitchen serving food until midnight round out the offerings.
Craft beer bottle shop · Cedar Park
The Brewtique in Cedar Park combines a curated craft beer selection (200+ bottles and cans) with pinball and games. The bottle shop model lets you buy beer to drink on-site or take home. No kitchen, but outside food is welcome. The space also features board games, darts, and foosball alongside the pinball lineup.
Austin's pinball scene offers something for every type of player. Competitive players can find IFPA-sanctioned tournaments at Austin Pinball Collective and league nights at Bender Bar and Grill, while casual visitors might prefer the unlimited free play model at Cidercade. Families have options at Pinballz Lake Creek (before evening hours) and Cidercade (before 9pm). For the most machines in one place, the original Pinballz Arcade on Research Blvd maintains the deepest collection.
Know of a location we missed or spot something that needs updating? Drop us a line.
Last updated: January 2026
Colin is the chief pixel pusher at Kineticist. He's a lifetime gamer who became enamored with pinball after taking in a family copy of the 1979 classic Joker Poker (the EM version). Since then he's bought, sold and repaired many machines, competed in all kinds of tournaments, and contributes to This Week in Pinball, the New England Pinball League, and Pin-Masters of New England. Previously, Colin spent over a decade working in marketing for agencies and tech startups. He also started and ran a music blog, happy hour website, and wrote a regular craft beer review column for Central Track in Dallas. Once aspired to be an artsy film director.
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